Amongst The Gum Trees

When I was a child, we sang a song at school called "Give Me A Home Amongst The Gum Trees".  I think most Australians of my vintage could belt out the words without much prompting.  As a song it is on the daggy side.  Not least of all because it was the theme song of Burke's Backyard for many years...

This evening I went for a walk with The Farmer and The Farmchildren and realised that I had my own home amongst the gum trees.

I love gum trees.  They have a wonderful spare elegance.  I am fortunate enough that whoever planned the original Farmhouse garden planted rows of them.  I lie in bed at night and feel like the trees are standing guard around my home and family.  I find it oddly comforting.

Side Lawn, The Farmhouse

They line our driveways, making gorgeous arches that envelop you as you walk.

The Farmer and The Farmchildren, Main Driveway

Their spreading canopies are majestic and stand out, stark, against a turquoise summer sky.

Lone Gum Tree, Paddock On The Home Farm

Close up you can see the subtle glimmery sheen of their trunk.  And the beautiful lines of their branches.

Young Salmon Gum, Edge of House Paddock

I love their smell.  The smell of fresh young gum leaves when you crush them. The smell of dead leaves on the ground as you walk through them.  The smell of blossom from a lemon scented gum as you walk underneath it, and hear the gentle whir of bees.

The Farmchildren play happily in their shade.

Treehouse Under The Trees

The trees are part of our day to day existence on The Farm.  Always there, always beautiful.

Addit:  For anyone who is interested I have posted about Farmboy's special treehouse, seen in the last photo,  here.

For those of you who are not Australian, a gum tree is a common name for a eucalypt.

On Trend Architecture and Design - Farmstyle

For various reasons this farmer's wife has been reading lots of interior design magazines recently.  After careful perusal of backcopies of Inside Out, Australian Country Style and House and Garden I have decided that design and architecture seem to need to meet a few criteria to be on trend at the moment.  Things like eco credentials, use of waste materials, simple and honest structure seem to be important.  A structure should resonate with the environment. Dividing buildings into different zones for different uses is also strongly recommended.  Decorating simply with a bit of a twist and referencing Scandinavian design are apparently required.

We at the farm like to be on trend with our buildings and hence I present to you this.

"The Treehouse"

This is our newest structure and it meets all the necessary criteria.  Its eco credentials are first class.  It is constructed from recycled pallets and is obviously open to the sides which enables an excellent cross breeze and totally natural cooling system.  It is so eco friendly that it requires no electricity at all  with the exception of the occasional torch battery for night time use.

It is also an honest structure.  It is very clearly a Treehouse and is not pretending to be anything else.

I think it resonates with the environment well.  Its colours blend nicely and being butted up against a tree has got to count for something.  Birds have even been know to fly straight through it.

The concept of zoning has been applied with intelligence.  It has a label on the side that states its purpose clearly.

No Grown Ups

The decor is incredibly up to date and fashionable.  It is frequently scattered with little bits of Lego.  Lego is obviously the classic example of Danish design excellence and so the Scandinavian box has well and truly been ticked.  Most importantly it has a twist.  The kids have wittily referenced the late Alexander McQueen with this choice of motif.

The absolute best thing about it is that the whole structure carries strong emotional meaning for its owners.  It was built recently by Farmboy and his grandfather.  It's a pretty special Treehouse.